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01
Before his 2003 emergency surgery in Chile, the surgeon tried to explain the procedure in layman’s terms. Alda confidently asserted that the operation is called an end-to-end anastomosis. The stunned surgeon asked how he knew. Alda replied that he had done it numerous times on MASH.
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02
He commuted from his home in New Jersey to LA every weekend for 11 years while starring in MASH. His wife and daughters lived in NJ, and he did not want to uproot the family, especially because he did not know how long the show would last.
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03
Childhood friend of Carol Burnett.
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04
Is the first person ever to win Emmys for acting, writing, and directing. He accomplished wins in all three categories for his work on MASH before the series ended.
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05
Served in the U.S. Army, and he went AWOL every weekend because he was dating the woman that he ultimately married, Arlene Alda.
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06
Suffered from a severe case of polio as a young child. At its worst point he was only able to move his left arm. He received treatment originally developed by Australian polio expert nurse Sister Kenny.
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07
To show the horrors of war in a television sit-com, Alda had it written into his contract that one scene of every episode must take place in the operating room while surgery occurred.
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08
He did not sign on to play Hawkeye Pierce on MASH until 6 hours before filming began on the pilot episode.
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09
He was the only actor to appear in every episode of MASH.
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10
Once did a cartwheel down the aisle while on his way to accept an award that he had just won.
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11
Has succeeded Donald Sutherland in two roles: Hawkeye Pierce in MASH, and Flan in Six Degrees of Separation. During an appearance both made at a ceremony for Queen Elizabeth II, they happened to be standing next to each other in the reception line. As they waited, Alda whispered to Sutherland, Thank you for my life.
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12
He married his wife, Arlene Alda, in 1957, shortly after finishing his army training.
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13
He and Loretta Swit were the only two to appear in both the pilot episode of MASH and in the final show, with the exception of the opening credits where Gary Burghoff’s character Radar appears, albeit edited after his departure.
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14
Appeared on the front cover of TV Guide 11 times.
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15
His favorite episodes of MASH are Dear Sigmund 1976 and In Love and War 1977, which he wrote and directed.
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16
He was once selected as the most believable actor in the U.S.
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17
Was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2015 but didn’t go public about his condition until July 2018 during an appearance on CBS Mornings.
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18
He, his father Robert Alda, and his half-brother Antony Alda appeared together in an episode of MASH, Lend a Hand 1980. Robert had previously appeared in The Consultant 1975.
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19
Every Sunday, he used to play tennis with Dick Van Patten, Mel Brooks, and Gene Wilder.
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20
Alda almost turned down the role of Hawkeye Pierce on MASH because he did not want war to be a backdrop for lighthearted hijinks. He wanted to show that the war was a bad place to be.
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21
With the exception of taking a course in Theater Games, he’s never studied acting. His degree from Fordham University is in Science. He felt that he was a natural performer and that studying would ruin his gift.
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22
Earned a reported $200,000 per episode for MASH in 1980.
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23
Made his first appearance onstage in 1936 at the age of six months during a burlesque schoolroom sketch that his father was headlining.
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24
Although he has been married over 50 years, he does not like the feel of his wedding ring on his finger and does not wear it. He began wearing his prop wedding ring from The West Wing instead.
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25
His favorite curse word is horse. It stems from an outburst he once had on a set where he went through every obscenity he could think of, then unable to come up with anymore, he loudly yelled Horse! It has since become his favorite curse.
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26
Once played the role of Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, the role first played on Broadway by his father, Robert Alda.
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27
In 2005 he became the fifth actor to receive an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony nomination in the same calendar year for The Aviator, The West Wing, and Glengarry Glen Ross respectively.
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28
1975 People’s Choice Award: Favorite Male TV Performer.
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29
Harry Morgan, said to be one of his idols, later replaced McLean Stevenson on MASH for the fourth season.
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30
Earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Fordham University in 1956.
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31
James Lipton once said, If you work very, very hard, this is the kind of actor, writer, and director you may turn out to be. And if you work extra hard, this is the kind of person you may turn out to be.
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32
From 1980 to 1983, he won four consecutive Golden Globes in the Best Actor in a Television Series Comedy or Musical category for his work on MASH.
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33
Was one of the actors considered to play President Bartlett on The West Wing. Alda later landed the role of Sen. Arnold Vinick in 2004 on that series.
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34
Son of Robert Alda and Joan Brown, a former Miss New York pageant winner.
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35
Has been nominated three times for Broadway’s Tony Award: in 1967 for The Apple Tree, in 1992 for Jake’s Women, and in 2005 for Glengarry Glen Ross.
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36
Studied at the Sorbonne during his junior year of college.
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37
Richard Hooker, who wrote the novel on which the film and TV show MASH were based, did not like the TV series and particularly did not like Alda’s portrayal of Hawkeye Pierce.
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38
Was a fan of Dragnet 1967, which featured his future MASH co-star Harry Morgan.
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39
He was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2013 for his services to arts and entertainment.
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40
On October 19, 2003, he underwent emergency surgery while in La Serena, Chile to clear an intestinal obstruction.
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41
He has twice played characters from Maine: noble surgeon Hawkeye Pierce from Crabapple Cove in MASH, and corrupt U.S. Sen. Owen Brewster in The Aviator.
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42
Alan and his wife Arlene have three daughters: Eve Alda Coffey born December 12, 1958, Elizabeth Alda born August 20, 1960, and Beatrice Alda born August 10, 1961.
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43
His father was of Italian descent and his mother was of Irish ancestry.
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44
Was the commencement speaker at Dwight-Englewood High School in June 1978 when his daughter Elizabeth graduated.
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45
Best known by the public for his starring role as Chief of Surgery Dr. Benjamin Franklin Hawkeye Pierce on MASH.
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46
Briefly considered a run for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in New Jersey after Bill Bradley announced his retirement in 1995.
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47
Nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award for Things I Overheard While Talking To Myself Best Spoken Word Album.
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48
In 1958, he won a three-year Ford Foundation fellowship, making him a paid staff member of the Cleveland Playhouse.
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49
Has the distinction of playing three U.S. Senators: Sen. Joe Tynan in The Seduction of Joe Tynan, real-life Sen. Owen Brewster in The Aviator, and Sen. Arnold Vinick in The West Wing.
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50
Was considered for the role of Father Damien Karras in The Exorcist 1973.
